We had trouble with hot water in our washer because it turned out the hose leading into the washer was blocked.

And if you have hard water, hot water lines will clog and corrode faster than cold. I'm willing to bet that if you have hot water elsewhere in the house, that this is the reason for no hot water in your machine.

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Common sense is not a gift, but a curse. Because thenyou have to deal with all the people who don't have it. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We had trouble with hot water in our washer because it turned out the hose leading into the washer was blocked.

And if you have hard water, hot water lines will clog and corrode faster than cold. I'm willing to bet that if you have hot water elsewhere in the house, that this is the reason for no hot water in your machine.

Ah, I meant that the hot water that comes out in the washer is extremely hot, too; it's just that the way it alternates with the cold water, the final product is lukewarm.

My hair was kept short most of the time when I was a kid, and as it grew longer I kept it in a ponytail. I have absolutely no idea how to style it. I finally learned how to do a french braid, so every day my hair is either in a ponytail or in a french braid. (I don't like having it down.) I don't even know how to do a basic bun or twist! Part of the problem is that I have SO MUCH HAIR. I tried following a hair tutorial, used almost an entire package of bobby pins, and soon had to take it out because the sheer volume of pins was so uncomfortable.

Should I make an appointment with the lady who cuts my hair, and ask her to walk me through some styles? Keep trying online tutorials? Shave my head in a fit of temper?

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"From a procrastination standpoint, today has been wildly successful."

For example a bun: pull your hair back like you are about to make a ponytail, then just twist the hair around to make it like a rope. As you are twisting it, it will start to coil. There you go, a bun. You can probably secure it with a rubber band, no pins required.

For a french twist, start like you are doing a low pony tail, then again, just grasp the whole bit of it and twist, this time slightly raising your arms over your head. The hair will pull itself into a twist. You can use a large barrette to secure the top. If you need use a comb to secure the sides. and then just let the ends hang out (ok its not a super polished french twist if the ends are hanging out, but its a heck of a lot easier!)

Other easy styles are wearing a head band, or hair half pulled back in a barrette.

Just play around a few minutes a day and try stuff out. Video tutorials are probably easier then print ones. and you an try talking to a hairdresser, but since they have a unique visual angle they might not explain well for doing your hair from your point of view. A great idea is to ask a friend with a nice style "hey how'd you do that?" - many people 'talk' with their hands, and its likely they will raise their arms and pantomime the actions while explaining.

I've tried the bun and twist like you mentioned, Willy Nilly, and they never work because I have so much hair. The elastic will secure part of the hair and the rest of it just starts unravelling.

So just keep playing around. Maybe your hair will never work in a bun. That's just the luck of the draw. Or maybe your hair needs 2 elastics. Or maybe a pick or a comb or chopsticks will hold your hair.

The point is, to learn t style your hair, its mostly just practice, practice, trial and error, and practice.

I never learned how to style my hair, either. My sister (who has practically the same hair I do except longer) does things like casually french braid her hair into the shape of a swan just because it's Wednesday and she felt like it I finally managed a few basic things:

1) down2) ponytail3) bun: make a ponytail, twist it, wrap it around the elastic, then skewer it with chopsticks or pencils as many times as it takes to make it stay4) giant hair barrette so I can pull just the top half back

One of my co-workers was utterly un-girly growing up as protest against her incredibly girly twin sister, so she never learned to do her hair until she realized that wearing it wavy/frizzy and down every day wasn't doing her any favors in a professional work environment.

She said her saving grace has been you tube. She's watched video tutorials to learn to do her hair in french braids and twists and even a huge beehive updo for Halloween, as well as makeup tips and finding professional and flattering outfits.

This works especially well if you're a visual learner, or if you want to watch the same bit over and over until you master a particular step in the process.

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"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

As some one who is doing exactly what you want to do, I say YouTube the crap out of everything.

I recently decided I was going to do exactly what you want to do: learn how to style my hair! I have curly hair and it's either up in a ponytail or down. I wanted to be able to do fun things with it, so I decided to start YouTube-ing everything. I have found some pretty neat things and finally learned how to fishtail braid my hair. If you just can't get it even though the tutorial seems simple watch another one. Someone will be able to show you in a way you understand (I watched 5 different fishtail videos before the one made sense to me).

Thanks folks! I will check out the Youtube videos. I am trying to transition myself into a more professional image. I'm starting with my hair, and soon I plan on spending some time at makeup counters learning how to use makeup. I've also started wearing blouses instead of T-shirts, flats instead of sneakers, etc. I've always felt a little ridiculous that I never learned how to dress or style myself properly.

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"From a procrastination standpoint, today has been wildly successful."

I've tried the bun and twist like you mentioned, Willy Nilly, and they never work because I have so much hair. The elastic will secure part of the hair and the rest of it just starts unravelling.

Use a "scrunchie" type ponytail holder, but make sure it is large enough to go around the bun at least twice. A while back I posted a picture of my hair on the "things that drive you up a wall" thread, so you can see that I have a massive amount of hair as well, and those work just fine to keep it all held up. You might have to play with exactly what type of elastic or cloth ponytail holder will work for you, but with all the varieties available, something has to work.

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Some people lift weights. I lift measures. It's a far more esoteric workout. - (Quoted from a personal friend)

Add me to the check-out-you-tube crowd. All my life I'd only ever worn my hair loose or in a ponytail. When I started seriously growing my hair it came as a shock to learn that I'd have to keep it in updos if I wanted it to grow. It took watching lots of videos for me to learn how to do my hair. There's a forum called Long Hair Community too, where you can find lots of ideas and suggestions.

One thing I've found is that your tools can make your life easier or waay harder than it needs to be. Holding a bun up with just bobby pins is a lot of work, for me anyway. By constrast using a hair fork is much easier. Spin pins (little corkscrew things for your hair) have great hold, especially in a braided bun. Your experience will vary, of course, so experiment

YouTube videos don't seem to help me. My hair is really fine, really slippery, and curl resistant. I can never figure out how to manage more than one strand of hair at a time. And none of the curling tutorials work. I'm either doing something very wrong, or my hair has an evil agenda. I've been practicing a lot on my older daughter lately, and I have finally figure out how to do a regular, boring braid without all the hair slipping through my fingers. I can't believe that's something I had to work for.

YouTube videos don't seem to help me. My hair is really fine, really slippery, and curl resistant. I can never figure out how to manage more than one strand of hair at a time. And none of the curling tutorials work. I'm either doing something very wrong, or my hair has an evil agenda. I've been practicing a lot on my older daughter lately, and I have finally figure out how to do a regular, boring braid without all the hair slipping through my fingers. I can't believe that's something I had to work for.

For thin hair you might need to use product, not tools. I'd suggest going a day without washing, then spraying liberally with a dry shampoo, letting that dry for 2-3 minutes then trying to style your hair. The days worth of grease, as soaked up by the dry shampoo, should give your hair a sense of thickness and natural hold.